Step Towards Your Future
I went for a walk on my lunch hour and, coincidentally, the song One Step at a Time by Jordin Sparks came on my iPod. I happen to love the song and, therefore, I listened to it over and over during my drizzly walk. The song talks about having big dreams but, more importantly, being patient and persistent as you try to achieve them. The lyrics pretty much sum up much of the advice I give to students who happen to walk through the doors of the UW Career Center. Sometimes I'm trying to convince students they should be dreaming bigger than they are because I believe in their potential more than they seem to believe in their own capabilities. Sometimes I'm trying to convince students that accepting a position with a salary or title that are less impressive than they were hoping doesn't mean they have failed. And right now, I'm trying to convince them, not to take One Step at a Time, but simply to take a step! It seems students have lost all hope of finding work...and have resigned themselves to spending their days eating ramen noodles and staring at the ceiling in the bedroom they occupy in their parents' basement. Jobs for college graduates ARE out there. The key to finding them is simply taking a step in the job search. Don't let fear...or the media...or your friends' horror stories - paralyze you. Put one foot in front of the other, feel proud of your accomplishments, muster all the optimism you can, and face your job search with renewed energy.
